Divorce
by I Know Your Name
Summary: The Sanzo ikkou operate best within a family dynamic. What happens when the parents of that family get so angry that they refuse to recognize each other's existence? Will there be a divorce? NO SHOUNENAI OR YAOI. COMPLETE!
1. Realization

**Standard disclaimers apply. **

**Okay, here's a fic (not going to be too long) about the guys. All four of them together. First time I tried that, so forgive any OOC-ness. Tried to keep them IC, for the most part. **

**References to Sanzo and Hakkai's fight come from episode 20 of _Saiyuki Reload _and book 8 of _Gensoumaden Saiyuki. _**

**Enjoy. Please review, if you would:)**

* * *

Something was off. Gojyo didn't know what. But something was seriously off. For one thing, the monkey wasn't fighting with him. Wasn't talking, even. The kid just sat there staring at the back of the stupid priest's head, and then switching to stare at the back of Hakkai's head. He didn't understand why Goku was acting so weird. Normally at this time of the morning Goku would be wrestling with him in the back, or playing with cards, or calling him "_ero kappa!_" But…the kid was quiet. He hadn't said almost anything all morning, ever since they had left the inn. Last night had been normal—the monkey had slept in his room, and Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass and Hakkai had been together in the next…dinner had been fine…Gojyo's eyes narrowed. Something was seriously bothering the chibi.

Time that it stopped.

Gojyo punched Goku in the shoulder. "Oi, _baka saru_!"

Goku shrugged the punch off and looked at Gojyo. "I'm busy! Don't bother me!"

"A _saru_ like you couldn't be busy with anything!" Gojyo punched him again, a laugh on his face. Goku blocked him and punched back.

"I am too busy, _ero kappa!_"

"Ha! Staring around and not talking is being busy now, is it? Not in my book!"

"You don't even _read_, you bastard!" Goku yelled, tackling him.

"Like you do, _baka saru_! And I do too read!"

"What?" Goku demanded, flaying helplessly at the end of one of Gojyo's long arms.

"Porn, of course." Gojyo grinned devilishly.

"EW! That's disgusting!" Gojyo began to tickle him. Jeep kyuued in protest.

"Gojyo, please, you're bothering Jeep." Hakkai said, a smile on his face. There was none in his voice, however, so Gojyo stopped, but continued to tease Goku.

"Sanzo!" Goku cried. "Make him stop!"

Sanzo grunted.

"Sanzo!"

Sanzo slapped out the fan and beat them over the heads with it. "I'm TRYING TO SLEEP, IDIOTS! DO YOU WANT TO DIE? BECAUSE THAT CAN BE ARRANGED!"

Gojyo, as he covered his head with his arms and yelled in protest, noticed that the beating was much more vicious than usual. In fact, it seemed as if the monk was genuinely pissed this time, instead of just irritated as he usually was, almost as if he was actually venting rage at something else on them.

"Hey, Sanzo, stop!" Goku cried. "That really hurts!"

The monk's voice was hissing at them in the background of the whishing of the fan, but Gojyo couldn't make out the words, and to be honest, didn't give a damn what the prick was saying.

"Quit, damn it!" Gojyo yelled. Sanzo continued to whip them with the fan, harder than he had before.

"IF YOU IDIOTS WON'T LEARN TO BEHAVE, I'LL MAKE YOU!"

"Hakkai!" Goku screamed. "Make him stop!"

Gojyo waited expectantly for the familiar chiding voice of Hakkai to break in. But the driver said nothing. He _ignored _them, the bastard!

"Hakkai!" Goku screamed again. "Can't you _hear _me?!?!" The beating continued, getting even more vicious if possible. Damn, the bastard was really trying to hurt them!

The fan snapped, dropping one piece to the floor of the jeep with the stub in Sanzo's hand. With that, the beating stopped. The fucking monk put the stub away somewhere away in his robes and faced forward again, entirely calm. Gojyo rubbed his skull. That had hurt, damn it! Not that it didn't usually; but the asshole had gone to it with more enthusiasm than usual. And what was with Hakkai? Gojyo glanced at his friend's back. Usually the beatings followed a specific routine: they would piss his holiness off, he would beat them, Goku would cry for Hakkai, Hakkai would calmly interject something, and the fan would be hidden away. This time, though, Hakkai hadn't stopped the beating, and because of it, it had gotten even worse.

Gojyo frowned and looked at the monkey. Goku was staring fixedly at Sanzo and Hakkai again, his eyes wide and his jaw tight with apprehension. What was going on?

* * *

When they got to the inn that night and went down to the restaurant for dinner, Goku was cranky. He had been sitting in that stupid jeep all day with Gojyo and the others, there had been almost no food, and…something was wrong. He didn't know what. But Hakkai and Sanzo were acting weird. They'd been acting weird ever since morning. They hadn't even talked to each other once! And Sanzo had been so mean when he was beating him and Gojyo! He wasn't usually that mean! Even if he did get mad and start beating them, usually Sanzo didn't do it for very long. And usually Hakkai stopped it, especially when he cried for help! Hakkai never let Sanzo hurt them, so why had he today? What was wrong with them?

It was more than Sanzo and Hakkai not talking to each other, too. Goku could smell the difference. Normally the smell between Sanzo and Hakkai was a comfortable smell. Like meat buns. Okay, so it wasn't like meat buns, exactly, but it gave him the a good feeling like meat buns did. It made him feel warm and safe inside, like they would always be there for him, to protect him. Sanzo would always be his sun. He had told him that he would never abandon him, ever. And while Hakkai had never said that, Goku knew that Hakkai would never leave him either. So why did they smell different?

He couldn't describe the new smell. It didn't smell like anything that he knew of, because he had never had a smell cause him to feel like this before. It made him feel afraid. Goku never felt afraid. There was nothing to be afraid of. Sanzo was there, and Hakkai, and Gojyo, and he had food. But the smell coming from Sanzo and Hakkai was scaring him. It was a cold smell, an…angry smell, even. It made Goku feel scared, almost like he was in the cage again, only it was a different cage. He frowned.

"Oi, _saru_, what's with the face?" Gojyo asked, poking him. Goku looked across the table at the _kappa_. The _kappa_ was annoying. But at least he didn't have the smell coming from him. Gojyo smelled the same as usual. A little worried, maybe, but pretty much the same. Goku scowled at the older man. Couldn't Gojyo tell that something was wrong?

"Something's wrong." Goku said, daring at glance at Sanzo. Sanzo didn't even twitch from behind his paper. Goku dared another glance, this time at Hakkai, but the youkai was occupied with feeding Jeep. Goku pushed at his food. He didn't know what to eat first.

"What?" Gojyo raised an eyebrow and bit into a meat bun. Didn't the _kappa_ even care?! Goku glared at him.

"Something's wrong." He repeated. "I don't know what it is, but something's wrong." He raised his voice slightly, glaring at the other three. "Something smells weird."

"Maybe you need to get your nose checked." Sanzo said from behind his paper. Goku glared at his master.

"I do not! My nose is fine!"

"Uh-huh." Gojyo tousled his hair. "Eat your dinner, monkey." He lowered his voice. "Everything will be fine."

But everything wasn't fine! Why couldn't Gojyo understand that? Sanzo and Hakkai had never smelled this way before. Ever. Goku felt the bottom suddenly drop out of his stomach. Yes, they did. When Gojyo had left them and they had been in the inn together, Hakkai and Sanzo had smelled this way while they were fighting. Cold and mad. Not like they usually smelled towards each other, or even how they smelled in general…they had had that really scary smell. Sanzo had been really pissed, and Hakkai had been really really scary…he bit his lip. What was he supposed to do now? Were they going to get over it, like they had before? Goku stared at his food. He wasn't hungry right now. He pushed his plate away.

"Goku?" Hakkai stared at him in concern. "Are you all right?"  
"I need to talk to Gojyo right now." Goku said.

"What?" Gojyo asked in surprise. "But we aren't done eating…"

"I have something I want to show you!" Goku insisted, tugging on his arm. Gojyo sighed and put his napkin on the table.

"Okay, monkey." He glanced at Hakkai. "I'll be back in a minute."

"That's fine." Hakkai said, once again concerned with feeding Jeep.

* * *

Gojyo followed the kid outside of the inn. It was getting dark outside. He shivered in the cold wind. Damn, why did the chibi want to talk out here?

"Gojyo." Goku said softly. Gojyo's head snapped around to stare at the monkey. What was with the kid, anyway? He wasn't usually this serious, and he never gave up food. Something had to be seriously wrong for him to do that—but no one was hurt or dying. What was going on?

"Yeah?"

"I think Sanzo and Hakkai are mad at each other."

"Mad?" Gojyo tried to wrap his brain around the concept. "Sanzo never gets mad at Hakkai, _saru_. And Hakkai almost never gets mad at any of us. He's never gotten mad at the monk."

"But they _are _mad." Goku said, his voice quiet. The monkey was staring out onto the street, apparently oblivious to the cold. "They aren't talking to each other."

"Goku, they never talk anyway." Gojyo said, squatting down beside the monkey. "I know it seems like the do, but they don't really. At least not when we're around. I think they talk sometimes at night when they room together."

"I know that!" Goku looked at Gojyo. "But they aren't talking at all! They haven't said anything to each other all day!"

"It must just be one of those days."

"No, it's not!"

"And how do you know that, _saru_?" Gojyo asked. Despite himself, he was beginning to get a little worried. He didn't quite understand what was going on here, nor did he understand why Goku was so worried. The monk and Hakkai never got mad at each other. Period, the end. Sure, Hakkai would annoy the monk, and vice versa, but they never actually lost it. Not as Sanzo lost it with him and Goku, or even how Hakkai occasionally lost it with Gojyo. They were…the core of the group. Violent as the monk was, he could still be counted on. And Hakkai…Hakkai was the calm center of the group. They revolved around him, in a way. He kept them all sane, kept them healthy, kept them fed, kept them in cigarettes and meat buns…Hakkai was the one Goku went to when he had questions that he didn't trust Gojyo with and didn't want to ask Sanzo. Hakkai was the one Gojyo went to when he needed to talk, or when he had a complaint about the monk. Hakkai was the one the monk went to when he wanted to discuss something he didn't want the others to hear…Gojyo smiled. Hakkai really was like a mother, in a way. A mother and a best friend, all rolled up in one.

Sanzo worked with that. He worked with Hakkai to lead the group, keep them going towards their goal, and keep them together. Sanzo led and Hakkai guided them. It was as simple as that.

And if, as the _saru_ seemed to think, Sanzo and Hakkai had lost it with each other…

The monkey propped his chin on his hands. "They smell different."  
"How?"

"Well…they smell mad. And cold." Goku hugged himself and looked up at Gojyo. "It makes me scared, Gojyo."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Goku swallowed. "It's just, I've seen them mad at each other before and…"

"'Mad at each other before'? When were you planning to tell me about this, saru?" Gojyo demanded.

Goku shrugged. "I kinda forgot about it."

"Kinda forgot about it?" Gojyo repeated. "Well, next time remember, _baka saru_! That's important information!"

"I didn't know!" Goku said defensively. "Anyway, I didn't know they'd get mad again!"

"What was it like before?" Gojyo asked. The _saru_ had better not hold anything back this time. He needed to know stuff like that. He seriously hadn't ever considered that Sanzo and Hakkai would get mad at each other; sure, he had wondered what would happen if they did, but he had never actually thought they _would_. He swallowed. He didn't want to be around if those two lost it with each other. That would _not _be pretty. Both of them were such…bastards went they got mad. Evil bastards. Especially Hakkai, and the prick of a monk wasn't too far behind him in the evil bastard category.

Goku bit his lip. "Well, they started arguing. And that smell was there again. The scary smell. It almost looked like they were going to fight each other."

"Arguing?" Gojyo said. "Explain arguing." His face was set now, his brow furrowed. Arguing he could understand. They did that all the time, even if it didn't seem like it—Hakkai's little verbal slaps at the monk and the asshole's irritated replies certainly constituted arguing, depending on the situation of course. Usually Hakkai's slaps were just him having fun at everyone else's expense. The monk often collaborated in that, even when the slap were directed at him. Gojyo shook his head. The monkey might not realize it yet, but there was a lot of teasing and joking going on between the monk and the driver. It was a weird, almost twisted kind of joking. It had taken Gojyo a long time to recognize it, but it was joking all right, of a black and warped variety. The two were better friends then it appeared to outsiders. In fact, Gojyo was almost entirely certain that Hakkai was the closest to Sanzo of the whole group. Sure, Sanzo was close to the monkey; but he wasn't friends with him as he was to Hakkai. He didn't tell Goku things that Gojyo knew he told Hakkai. Even if the two never talked about it, Gojyo knew they discussed things together they didn't discuss with the other two. He didn't have a problem with that. Hell, Hakkai was his best friend. He knew what Gojyo should and shouldn't know. To be honest, Gojyo didn't _want _to know about the things those two talked about.

Goku hugged himself tighter. "They were yelling. Really loud. And they looked like they were about to hit each other."

Gojyo was startled. He had known that if the monk and Hakkai ever got mad at each other, it would be pretty bad. But he didn't think they would yell. And they would never hit each other, would they? Gojyo felt as if his world was slipping out from under his feet. Much as he would have liked to deny it, these three made up his world nowadays. They were always together, and because of that they had slipped into a comfortable dynamic, almost like a family, he guessed. Sanzo was the father, Hakkai the mother, Gojyo was the oldest child, the one who was always challenging the father's authority, and Goku was the littlest, spoiled rotten and erratically disciplined by the rest of them. Hakkai and Sanzo were definitely a team, almost like they were married. They meshed really well, forming the wheel around which he and Goku spun. They didn't have sex and they weren't in love with each other. Gojyo knew that. Sure, they all loved each other. But not like he loved chicks…Gojyo licked his lips at the thought. Maybe he would get a hot one tonight, spend the night fucking…hadn't done that in a while…Damn it, now was not the time. The monkey was trying to be serious and that was rare enough…

"Did they make it up?"

"Well…sort of…"

"'Sort of'?"

"Well, I threw a pillow at Sanzo, and it made Hakkai laugh, and then demons came in, and we all ended up being mad at you instead…they never said they were sorry or anything, just went on."

"Hmm." If that was true, maybe this would all blow over. Just let them sulk it out. Gojyo hoped that would happen. Because the gods knew those two would never apologize to each other. "It'll be okay then."

"You really think so?' Goku looked up at Gojyo, his eyes wide and trusting. "You think they won't be mad at each other after a while?"

"Sure." Gojyo smiled, hiding his doubts like a big brother should. "It'll be fine. You'll see. They'll make it up somehow. Let them have their sulk. Meanwhile, I think you left your plate on the table, baka. Let's see if I can eat it before you can!"

"No way!" Goku yelled. "I'm gonna get it!" He raced back inside the inn. Gojyo followed, smiling at the monkey. He was so easily satisfied and reassured. Tell him it would okay and he would believe you, no matter what the problem was. Gojyo's smile slipped off his face for a moment. If only he could be so sure.

If those two split, there'd be hell to pay.


	2. Plans

**Standard disclaimers apply.**

**Long, _long _chappie! Of course, when I read I love long chappies, so I hope ya'll do too! ;) At any rate, I've been typing my fingers off to get this done--my sister loves _Saiyuki _and so she is physically after me to finish this (and _Chibi Sins_, too, don't worry about that one...this story just popped into my skull night before last and wouldn't be ignored...(sighs)...she'll kill me if I don't finish...) **

**Again, trying to keep characters as IC as possible. Be warned for lots of language, some angst, and a lot of really bad humor...;)**

**Thanks to my sister for discussing possible plans that the two might have...(wicked laughter) I think there's only a chapter or two left, so enjoy while ye may...**

**Review, if you would. Big thanks to all who have, I appreciate it hugely.**

* * *

Gojyo was sulking in his room at the inn. This was just stupid. He was tired of those two and their stupid attitude. Acting like this at their age…he had never heard of anything so stupid. Okay, so maybe he had. But he had never expected the monk and Hakkai to act like this. 

The bastards still weren't talking to each other. And it had been a week. A _fucking week_, damn it! That was more than enough time to get over whatever was bothering them! He didn't need this! He'd had enough shit in his life without these two falling apart now! Who did they think they were, to hurt him and Goku like this?

And the monkey was hurting. He had trusted him, trusted his statement that the two would get over it soon. But they hadn't—and now the kid was depressed. Depressed, damn it! He wasn't eating any more! Well, he was. But not like he usually did. He was eating hardly anything for Goku; just picking at his food. And he hardly said he was hungry anymore, even when he was. It was as if he was afraid something would set them off. Gojyo gritted his teeth around his cigarette. So far as he was concerned, it would be a good thing if something set those two off. At least then it would be out in the open, instead of them pretending like nothing was wrong. His jaw tightened at the several-day-old memory of trying to ask Hakkai what was the matter.

Gojyo had deliberately roomed with Hakkai that night in order to ask him what was going on with him and Sanzo. He asked him. Hakkai had looked at him in mild surprise, a slightly apologetic look on his face as if he had no idea what Gojyo was talking about. Gojyo still remembered his exact words:

"Kai, what's up with you and Sanzo?"

"I'm sorry, Gojyo, but I don't know what you mean. Perhaps if you explained…"

"Quit with the bullshit, Hakkai. I know something's up with you and Sanzo. You have a fight?"

"Gojyo, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. Perhaps Sanzo knows. Ask him."

Hakkai had then turned his back and begun to stroke Jeep while staring out the window.

Honestly no idea, his ass! That was the worst bullshit he had ever heard! What made it worse was that if he didn't know Hakkai, he would swear that the man was speaking the truth; he didn't have any sign of a lie on him as he was saying it. That was what sucked about having Hakkai as a friend; he could be lying to you and you'd never know unless you already had evidence against it. He had evidence, all right. Sure as hell, he had evidence.

The monkey had been right—Sanzo and Hakkai _weren't _talking to each other, not at all. They hadn't said a _word—_that's right, hadn't said even _one word_ to each other since the night of the supposed fight. Hadn't even looked at each other. And they hadn't been rooming together as usual, either; Sanzo kept taking Goku and Hakkai kept taking him.

Gojyo bit through his cigarette, cursed, dropped it in the ashtray, and lit another. This had to end somewhere. It was time those two learned exactly who they were messing with. He and the monkey weren't going to take this anymore. He wasn't going to let Goku get more depressed and more depressed until he stopped eating altogether, or even stopped talking. He didn't have time for that, and neither did they. They were on a _mission, _damn it! A holy quest or whatever Sanzo wanted to call it! They didn't have time for this shit!

As for talking to Sanzo, he had tried. He had honestly _tried _to talk with that bastard, much as it pissed him off to do so. Gojyo had tried to talk to him, man to man, with a calm voice, telling himself over and over not to get pissed with the man, he couldn't help being who he was.

So he had approached the man, looked him in the eye, and asked him in a calm, mature voice if he and Hakkai had had a fight. As with Hakkai, Gojyo remembered the exact words of the "conversation" between him and Sanzo.

"So, Sanzo, did you and Hakkai have a fight?"

Sanzo had flipped a page of his paper. "No idea what you're talking about."

"Sanzo, that's bullshit. You did have a fight, didn't you? Just admit it and apologize—come on!"

"I won't admit anything, and I sure as hell won't apologize for something I didn't do!" Sanzo snarled. "Go talk to your precious Hakkai if you have such a problem!"

"I already did, you bastard!

"Then go fuck yourself!"

How was he supposed to even talk to that asshole? Gojyo had stomped out, cursing, and slammed the door behind him.

Assholes! Bastards! Those two idiots needed to get over it!

It was time he and Goku came up with a plan.

* * *

Goku was sitting lethargically on the inn's back step when he felt an arm land on his shoulders and wrap around him. He didn't bother to look up. 

"Hi, Gojyo."

"Goku." Gojyo smiled and rubbed his knuckles in the monkey's hair, hoping for a reaction. The monkey didn't even yell, but just kept staring ahead without any light in his eyes. What the fuck…

"Oi, Goku." Gojyo prodded. "What's the matter?"

Goku sighed. "Nothing. Just go away, Gojyo."

"Nope." Gojyo leaned in closer to the monkey. "What're you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Goku."

Goku laid his chin on his arms. "Come on to where?" He let out a breath. "There's no where to go."

"You're upset about Sanzo and Hakkai, aren't you?"

Goku nodded slowly, still not looking at Gojyo. "Yeah."

"You upset because I told you they'd get over it and they haven't?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they will get over it."

"It's been a week!" Goku said, looking at him. "A week! That's a really long time, Gojyo!" Panic was starting to enter the monkey's voice. This was really bothering him. He didn't like it when Sanzo and Hakkai got mad. It was too scary, and too mean of them.

"Yeah, it is." Gojyo said, lighting a cigarette. "And that's why it's high time we did something about it."

"Did something? What are we going to do?" Goku looked at him, his eyes half suspicious and half hopeful.

"What are we going to do?" Gojyo repeated. "_Saru_, we are going to blow them away. We're going to end this stupid fight and show them how stupid it was. We're going to show them not to mess with us."

Goku's eyes were big with excitement. "Really? You think we can?"

"Sure we can."

"But…" He deflated. "They're mad. Hakkai and Sanzo are scary when they're mad." He swallowed. "I can't just go up and tell them."

Gojyo shook his head. "You're right. That's why we have to go about this the sneaky way."

"The sneaky way?" Goku repeated.

"Yep. The sneaky way."

* * *

Goku stared at Gojyo across the table of the inn. It had been a whole day since their talk, and they had made _plans_. Good plans, too. There was no way these plans were going to fail. Goku grinned to himself. He and Gojyo were _smart_. 

Gojyo caught his eye and nodded to him slightly, a smile quirking one corner of his mouth. The _kappa _rose from the table, pushing his chair back.

"I guess I'm going to bed."

"So early?" Hakkai looked perplexed. "It's only about eight, Gojyo. You don't usually go to bed until eleven or so at least."

"I'm tired." Gojyo lit a cigarette.

"You're going to pick up a girl." Sanzo said from behind his paper. Gojyo shook his head.

"Nope, I'm not going to pick up a girl." Too bad, too. This was a good night for them, and a good town—he had seen at least two that were willing and available on the way in. But good things required sacrifices, and this was just one he would have to make. There'd be girls in the next town—he hoped.

"I'm tired too." Goku said, getting up from the table. Hakkai looked at him incredulously.

"You haven't finished your dinner."

"'So'kay." Goku pushed his chair in. "I'm really sleepy."

"Well then." Hakkai began to push his chair back. "I guess that I'll go to bed too. Gojyo, don't use all the hot water, okay?"

Gojyo shook his head. "Goku's sleeping with me tonight."

Hakkai paused. "Goku is sleeping with you?"

"Yep." Gojyo grinned. "We need some one-on-one time."

"Ah." Despite Hakkai's mild tone, Gojyo could tell that he was disappointed and even somewhat annoyed. "Very well then."

"You can room with Sanzo!" Goku interjected. Gojyo glared at him and the kid shut up. Hakkai turned back to the table. "I suppose I might as well finish my meal."

"That's the spirit, Hakkai!" Gojyo slapped him on the back. Hakkai's eyes widened momentarily, and then narrowed.

"Excuse me?"

Gojyo realized his faux pas and hurried towards the door to the rooms. "Got to go, Kai! See you tomorrow!"

Hakkai turned back to the table and began to eat. Sanzo snorted from behind his paper but made no comment. Hakkai did not respond.

* * *

The next morning, Gojyo got up without being woken up by Hakkai. Goku was already gone—probably on the same mission he was. He headed out to the front of the inn, where Hakkai was packing Jeep with the supplies he had picked up in town. 

"Hey, Hakkai!"

Hakkai turned and smiled. "Good-morning, Gojyo. I trust you slept well?"

Something about his tone sounded annoyed. Gojyo put it down to the early hour and grinned back. "Yep. What about you?"

"Fine, thank you." Hakkai turned back to his packing. Gojyo scratched his neck.

"Say, Hakkai…"

"Yes, Gojyo?"

"Did you and Sanzo make up last night?"

Hakkai froze. "What?"

"You know. Did you discuss what was wrong and decide to end your fight?"

Hakkai turned. He was still smiling, but behind the smile there was something cold and hard.

"Gojyo, I must confess that your insinuations have become somewhat…taxing."

"You have got to be shitting me."

"Gojyo, I don't know what you're talking about." Hakkai said, his voice icy. "Whatever it is, please don't mention it again." He turned back to the Jeep.

_Damn it!

* * *

_

Goku entered Sanzo's room without knocking. Sanzo looked up at his approach, his hands greasy from cleaning his gun.

"What is it, _baka saru_? How many times have I told you to knock?"

"Sorry." Goku said insincerely. He sat down on the bed. "Whatcha doing?"

"Cleaning my gun. What does it look like, _baka_?!"

"Oh. I was just wondering."

"Uh-_huh_." Sanzo continued to clean his gun. Goku waited for a while, and then said hesitantly,

"Sanzo?"

"What?"

"Did you and Hakkai apologize last night?"

Sanzo stopped cleaning the gun to look at him. "What?!"

Goku swallowed. "Did you and Hakkai apologize to each other last night?'

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, monkey. Now go the hell away and let me finish my work!"

_Damn it.

* * *

_

"So that didn't work out too well." Gojyo said, sitting at the dining table of the next inn. Goku nodded miserably.

"Yeah."

"Cheer up, _saru_. That was just one plan. We've got more."

"Really?"

"Yep."

* * *

"Sanzo?" 

"What?"

"Let's play a game!"

Sanzo looked at the monkey in utter bemusement. "What the hell…"

Goku looked at him with big eyes. "Come on, Sanzo, it'll be fun!"

"Goku, I'm busy." Sanzo snapped the paper. "I don't want to."

"Please!"

"No!"

"Please!"

The fan came out, beating the monkey mercilessly. "I told you to shut up and go away! Now SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!"

"Please!" Goku begged through the slaps of the fan. Sanzo growled.

"I don't play games."

"You play mahjong. And besides, this is a really fun game! Please, Sanzo, just one game! Please!"

Sanzo threw down his paper. "Fine! But only one! And then you better leave me alone!"

"Yay!" Goku grabbed the monk's hand and dragged him out of the room. It was going to work this time. He knew it!

He dragged Sanzo into the next room, where Hakkai and Gojyo were sleeping, and threw the door open.

"We're here!" Hakkai looked up and smiled at Goku.

"It's nice to see you, Goku."

"You too, Hakkai! Isn't it good to see them, Sanzo?" Goku asked, looking up at his master.

"Ch."

Goku dragged Sanzo to the floor and sat down cross-legged beside him across from Gojyo. The _kappa _grinned from his seat next to Hakkai.

"Great, let's start!" Gojyo looked around at the group. "Now, I'm sure you'll all familiar with this game. It's called "Truth or Dare!""

Hakkai winced. Sanzo growled something under his breath. Goku beamed.

"I am! I love this game!" Goku cried, bouncing up and down. Sanzo hit him with the fan.

"Quit that,_ baka_!"

"I'm excited!" Goku whined. "Aren't you excited, Hakkai?"

"Of course." Hakkai said kindly, slipping on a smile.

"Okay, I'm going to start." Gojyo said, and looked at Goku.

"How have you been feeling this past week, Goku?"

Hakkai started slightly. A vein popped out on Sanzo's forehead. Goku looked uncertain.

He paused. "What's the dare?"

Gojyo grinned evilly. "Go down to the dining room and dance on the tables naked."

"That's gross!"

"Then tell us the truth!"

Goku swallowed. He was going to get Gojyo for this! This wasn't part of the plan! "Fine!" He shouted. "I've been feeling really crappy, okay!"

Gojyo snuck a glance at Hakkai, but the man still had that infuriatingly bland expression on his face. "Okay, Goku, that'll do. It's your turn now."

"That's not right." Sanzo growled. "You're supposed to go clockwise. It should be my turn."

Gojyo glared. "I'm the one who proposed this game, okay? And I say it's Goku's turn!"

"You're playing the wrong way."

"Deal with it!" Gojyo glanced at Hakkai again to see if he was reacting, but the bastard just sat there ignoring the entire situation. Well, they'd take it to where they couldn't ignore it then.

Goku bit his lip. His turn? But who should he ask? He glanced between Hakkai and Sanzo. Sanzo was really pissed. But Hakkai was really scary. But Gojyo had said he had to ask one of them…

"Hakkai."

"Yes, Goku?" Hakkai blinked his eyes in his usual mild way, but the scent roiling off him was scary. Goku swallowed. He couldn't be afraid now! There was too much going on! He had to do this!

"Why don't you and Sanzo stop fighting?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop thirty degrees. Hakkai was still smiling, but there was black ice behind those curved lips and crinkled eyes. Sanzo growled and got up.

"I'm going to bed." Sanzo muttered, and left the room. Goku fixed his eyes on Hakkai.

Hakkai smiled again, but the smile was even colder than before. Goku shivered. He didn't like it when Hakkai got scary. Hakkai and Sanzo were the only things that really scared him—Sanzo when he got hurt or was pissed off, and Hakkai when he was scary. He didn't like that. It was mean of them. They shouldn't do stuff like that.

"I'm afraid I don't understand you, Goku." Hakkai said, his voice smoothly sweet. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "But, I'm afraid, it's time for you to go to bed. I must retire early as well; we're going to have an early start tomorrow." He stood. "Off to bed now, Goku."

"But, Hakkai…'

"Now, Goku." Hakkai's voice was still sweet, but there was steel behind it. Goku shuddered and meekly went to bed.

"Hakkai…" Gojyo began. Hakkai smiled at him.

"I'm going to retire now, if that's all right with you, Gojyo. We do have an early day tomorrow."

Gojyo sighed. _Damn _the bastards. "Night."

"Good-night." Hakkai switched off the lights and got into bed. Gojyo sat there on the floor for a moment longer, then sighed and got into his own bed.

_Damn it.

* * *

_

"Okay, so that didn't work so well either." Gojyo said. Goku looked miserable. There were dark smudges under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept hardly at all. Gojyo let out a breath. "I know it's tough right now, kid, but we're going to get through this." He smiled, tousling the monkey's hair. "How about you think of a plan this time?"

"I don't have a plan."

"You gotta have one in there somewhere." Gojyo looked at him. "Come on, you can do it. Let that brain think."

"Don't have one." Goku repeated, head in his hands.

"You're that stupid, eh?"

"I am not!"

"Well, you don't have an idea, after three days of thinking."

"I thought you had one!"

"Expect me to do all the work, do you?" Gojyo snorted. "Lazy bastard."

"I am not a lazy bastard!"

"You sure as hell are. A stupid lazy bastard too. No ideas in that thick head of yours."

"I do have ideas! And I'm not stupid!" Goku yelled, jumping to his feet. "You're the stupid one! All of your ideas have been stupid! None of them have worked!"

"That's not my fault!"

"It is too! If they were good ideas, they would have worked!"

The kid had a point there. Problem was, it didn't matter how good of an idea it was if the parties concerned didn't cooperate. Gojyo cursed inwardly. How stubborn could those two bastards be? It'd been ten days. This was the third hotel, the third plan (if the monkey could even think of a plan)…there had to be something that would work…if this supposed plan didn't work, he didn't know what he was going to do…there was a limit…

"I have an idea!" Goku cried, jumping in his face. Gojyo grinned and shoved him back on his ass. Goku glared.

"So what's this fantastic idea of yours, monkey-boy?"

"We write letters to them!"

"What the hell…how's that going to work? We already tried that with Truth or Dare, and they weren't listening!"

"No, stupid!" Goku hit him on the head.

"Hey, that hurt! Who elected you Sanzo?" Gojyo snarled, punching him back. Goku dodged then sat down across from Gojyo, his face bright and excited.

"No, see, this is what we do! We write letters from Sanzo to Hakkai and from Hakkai to Sanzo, saying how sorry they are that they fought and how they want to make up! Then, in the letters, they propose a meeting place out in town to meet to prove that they're sorry! That way, when they go, we can see them and know that they're making up!"

Gojyo thought. The idea did have something to it. Problem was, would either of the bastards believe it? They were both born suspicious—suspicious as hell…he didn't think they trusted anyone outside the group, and wasn't even sure if they completely trusted each other. They might (Hakkai especially) immediately recognize it as a hoax and stay in the inn. But then again, they might not…

"Good idea, monkey."

"I'll write Sanzo's!"

"No, I'll write both of them."

"Why? Who says you can even write?"

"I do, dumb ass."

"I'm not a dumb ass!"

"Yeah, you are."

* * *

Sanzo looked up at the soft knock on the door. 

"Come in."

The hotel maid was there, a tray in her hand. On it was…a letter? What the hell…

"Excuse me, sir, but this letter arrived for you."

"Thank you."

She bowed. "It's no trouble, sir." He just bet it wasn't. He saw the way her eyes were traveling up and down his body. Why did they always do that to him? Go to Gojyo, he was the one who liked it. Just don't bother him, damn it!

She left. When she was gone, Sanzo took the letter and opened it. He never got letters. Who would be sending him one now? Probably some bastard with a taste for practical jokes…Gojyo…what the fuck, might as well open it, even if it was that bastard.

He slid the thin paper from the envelope, opened it, and began to read.

_Sanzo—_

_I apologize profoundly for arguing with you. You know that I really like you. I'm your friend, Sanzo. We shouldn't fight like this. I didn't mean to fight with you, and I know you didn't mean to fight with me. Friendship like ours shouldn't be destroyed by a stupid argument. Our fight wasn't even important, Sanzo. You know we were just fighting because we were tired and hungry. It's a long trip, Sanzo. I know that. You know that. We all know that. So why not apologize too?_

_If you are sorry for this argument and really want to end this, meet me at the tree in the middle of town at seven p.m. _

_I'll be there._

_—Hakkai _

Sanzo's eyebrow climbed to his hairline. What the _fuck_?! There was no way that bastard had written this. Hakkai never wrote letters, and even if he did, he wouldn't write a stupid one like this. The bastard would never mention friendship in confidence either; he was wary about stating friendship, just as Sanzo was. As for the fight not being important…Sanzo ripped the letter in two and dropped the pieces out the window.

That had the fingerprints of the damn monkey and damn _kappa _all over it. They were really starting to piss him off.

* * *

Goku and Gojyo waited at their post in a restaurant near the tree in the middle of town for three hours, from 6:30 onwards. Gojyo had wanted to leave after 7:30, but Goku had been desperately insistent that they stay. So Gojyo had waited, his temper growing worse and worse until at last the restaurant staff had politely asked them to leave, as the restaurant was closing. Goku hadn't wanted to leave, and Gojyo had practically had to carry him out of there. Then Goku had wanted to wait near the tree in an alley, but Gojyo had told him off. Goku had started crying then, crying like a tired child who didn't know where its parents were. Gojyo had held him, spoken to him in a way different from usual. Goku had fallen asleep like that, cradled in Gojyo's arms. Gojyo had ended up carrying him back to the inn and laying him in his bed in Sanzo's room, glaring at Sanzo as he had done so. The bastard didn't even react. 

After that, Gojyo didn't bother going back to his room with Hakkai. Instead, he had gone down the hotel's bar and sat there stewing. Those _bastards_. Didn't they realize what their stupid stubbornness was doing to the poor kid? They were tearing him up better than any youkai weapon ever could.

He was pissed. Seriously pissed. If this was the way they wanted to play the game, then he would show them exactly who they were playing with. He wasn't going to let them hurt the kid anymore just because they wanted to outdo each other in some sort of fucking contest. He was going to take Goku, and they would go to a better place—somewhere away from these pricks. He didn't know what had gotten into them. Hakkai wasn't usually like this. Neither was Sanzo. Sanzo had his moments, but he would never usually hurt Goku like this.

Gojyo wondered for a moment if either of them had any idea how much they were hurting the kid. Probably not. But to hell with them. He had already tried talking to them about it too many times; he didn't have time for them now. They were just going to have to get along without them; and if they wanted to play that silent game the entire time, that was their business. He and Goku would be away—they'd go and take on Gyumaoh, rescue the sutra, and fuck Hakkai and that damn monk! He, Gojyo, would cheer the chibi up again—get him meat buns, play with him, protect him from youkai…they'd be _fine _on their own. He'd been on his own before, and he'd been fine. He didn't need Hakkai. He didn't need Sanzo. If they weren't willing to apologize and get over themselves, then he'd get on with his life. Goku would get over them soon enough.

He hoped. Somehow he doubted that the kid would get over Sanzo that quickly. Hakkai…he'd be really upset about him, but leaving Sanzo? That would really hurt the monkey. Gojyo swallowed. Well, they said that desperate times called for desperate measures, and if this wasn't desperate than he didn't know what the hell was.

His fingers reached out for the pen and paper that he had asked the barmaid to bring to him. She had tried flirting, but he just wasn't in the mood. Damn, now that he was going to take care of the monkey he'd have to be responsible—no more getting laid in every town—not in any town, maybe. Not until the monkey could deal with being alone for a night. Well…that was a sacrifice that was going to have to be made.

He started to write.


	3. Conflict

**Standard disclaimers apply. **

**One more chapter to go. I'm afraid it will have to wait until after the 21st, as my mother has outlawed computer usage for the moment. Don't worry though, it IS the last chapter and it WILL be coming. Shortly. **

**Tried to keep this one IC, but don't know how I did. Even if it didn't quite work, I enjoyed this chapter. Can't wait until the next... ;) Don't have the clean-cut alternating POVs of the last two chapters; just couldn't write this one that way. **

**Enjoy, and please review, if you would. I enjoy it so. A thousand thanks to all of you who did review. I really appreciate it. Reviews make writing even more fun :)**

**Usual warnings for language, bad humor, etc. There _is _a lot of language in this fic; in keeping with characters, I think. If anyone thinks the rating should be changed, tell me and I'll up it to _M_. **

_

* * *

Hakkai— _

_I'm sending this letter to you because I'm not fucking with the bastard monk. I just want you to know—I'm taking the monkey with me and we're getting the hell out of here. You two have been bastards for the past week, and I'm not taking it anymore. If you want to be mad at each other and act like pricks, go ahead. But I'm not sitting around here watching the monkey cry over you anymore. _

_I'll take care of him. You can go fuck yourselves._

_—Gojyo _

A vein popped out on Sanzo's forehead. "Fucking bastard." He threw the letter down and glared at Hakkai. The youkai looked at him expressionlessly. Was he still not talking to him? Well, fuck that. "Fuck." He sat down in his chair and pulled his newspaper up. "If they want to go, let them go. I don't need anyone." He flipped the page of his paper.

There was a loud crack and Sanzo found himself on the floor, paper ripped in two from where he had clutched it too tightly.

"Fuck! What the fuck was that for!?!" He snarled, glaring up at Hakkai. The youkai stared down at him, his face icy.

"If you had just admitted to your fault in this matter, this wouldn't have happened." Hakkai's voice was cold, completely calm. Sanzo's face twisted.

"Shut the fuck up."

"No." _Damn _that bastard, why didn't he obey? Not that he ever did. He would show him who was really in charge here, _damn it! _Sanzo pulled out the gun and aimed it at Hakkai for the first time. The son of a bitch didn't even change expression.

"Stop blaming me for this. It's your fault." Sanzo stared down the gun at Hakkai, eyes challenging. The youkai would see once and for all he, Sanzo, was the leader of this group. No more challenging authority. No more backstabbing. No more idiotic remarks. He had had it with the attitude. So the bastard thought he was tough, standing up to him like this? Sanzo snorted. He'd show him who was tough…he cocked the gun.

A sharp pain shot through Sanzo's gun hand and the gun flew off into another corner of the room. Hakkai lowered his foot to the ground and watched coldly as Sanzo clutched his hand and cursed at him, eyes flaming.

He had really pissed off the monk now. Hakkai smiled slightly, a frighteningly genuine one. He sensed the change in Sanzo's aura that told him the monk was seriously unnerved by this display of enjoyment. Good. He was tired of all the shit the monk constantly gave him. He'd be damned if he'd take anymore off the bastard. The gun was the last straw. Sanzo knew better than to aim his gun at him. If he was going to die, it would be by his own hand, not by Sanzo's. The audacity of the monk even _trying _to shoot him was so infuriating that Hakkai could feel black wrath welling out of him. He was getting coated now, drowned in his own anger…so much for Hakkai. Gonou was back in charge.

"What the fuck…I'll kill you for that." Sanzo hissed, eyes almost black with rage. "I'll kill you."

Hakkai didn't take his eyes off the monk. Sanzo felt a chill go down his spine at the look in those eyes. The bastard was pissed. Really pissed. Sanzo suddenly remembered that, the last time Hakkai had been really pissed, fourteen hundred people had died. The green eyes were dark with fury, and the false smile had been wiped off his face. He looked as he had looked the night he had torn out his own eye.

"No, you won't." Hakkai's voice was eerily calm. "You're going to apologize."

"Over my dead body." Sanzo hissed, eyes fixed on Hakkai. He might not have the gun, but he had the fucking sutra and he sure as hell wouldn't hesitate to use it on this bastard. He could seal him away so quick the youkai wouldn't know what the fuck had happened to him…damn, Hakkai was getting creepy…

Hakkai remained where he was, staring at Sanzo with that sinister stare of his. Sanzo forced himself not to swallow. Of the four, he knew best what Hakkai was capable of, and exactly how much of his smiling courtesy was an act. That would be…all of it. Hakkai didn't give a damn. This was usually fine with Sanzo, since he didn't give one either. They were alike, which was why they understood each other so well, despite the shields and façades each put up. Sanzo stood, facing Hakkai. He wouldn't let this bastard kill him.

Hakkai didn't move, despite the fact that Sanzo had stood up less than two feet from him. He continued to stare down at the monk, eyes icy.

"Apologize."

"No." Sanzo said it flatly, leaving no room for argument. He wasn't going to apologize to this prick. Not in a million years.

Hakkai's jaw tightened. Sanzo saw his fingers twitch. "Apologize."

"No."

Hakkai glared. Sanzo glared back. He wasn't going to back down from this bastard. He had never backed down from anyone, and he sure as hell wasn't going to now, especially not to an arrogant SOB like this.

This was idiotic. Sanzo broke eye contact, deliberately turned his back, and lit a cigarette. He could sense the palpable rise in rage from the youkai. A smile crossed Sanzo's face. So the bastard was even more pissed. Good. At least he wouldn't have to put up with any more of that "I'm ignoring you!" act Hakkai had been playing with all week. He had been forced to ignore the youkai when Hakkai started ignoring him; otherwise it would seem like he was trying to get the driver's attention. Sanzo blew out smoke. Like hell he was. This was all Hakkai's fault, anyway.

* * *

A frozen silence had fallen over the room. Hakkai continued to stare at Sanzo, attempting to control. He didn't want to kill the monk. Really, he didn't. Goku would be crushed if Sanzo died. Of course, he could always say that Sanzo had just gone on a long journey by himself and wouldn't be back for a while. In a few years, after they had defeated Gyumaoh, they could always go and look for Sanzo's next incarnation. Hopefully the next incarnation would be better behaved and have a better personality…a slight smile curved Hakkai's lips. That might work, actually. If caught young enough, anyone could be brought up properly…Damn it. Goku would never believe it. Not that it mattered. Gojyo and Goku were gone now. Idiot Gojyo. He could hardly take care of himself, let alone an extremely demanding child. The two would end up getting killed by youkai or starving on the streets if something weren't done.

This was all Sanzo's fault. His stupid remarks almost two weeks ago had caused this. If he had actually thought before speaking, none of this would have happened. First the remarks about Gojyo. Those were to be expected. Sanzo always made disparaging remarks about Gojyo. Hakkai, however, had had enough of them that night, and so he had politely informed Sanzo that perhaps if Gojyo had had a decent father figure like Koumyou he wouldn't be the way he was. Sanzo had gotten irrationally angry, had started cursing, and ordered Hakkai not to speak that name again. It was then that he had dared to cross the line, take the final, insulting, step. Sanzo had said "Don't you dare bring up Koumyou to me. I never bring up Kanan…"

Sanzo knew that Kanan was never to be mentioned in anger. Ever. Even mentioning her for no reason at all was almost intolerable; but for a good reason, it was an offense that could be forgiven and understood. Hakkai had meant well with his remark about Koumyou; had said nothing offensive. But Sanzo just couldn't understand that. So Hakkai had ignored him.

Telling Hakkai it was his fault was insult upon injury. This…conflict…was not his fault. It was Sanzo's. Entirely Sanzo's. Hakkai's mouth thinned. The man could be extremely irritating. That attitude of his was really starting to piss Hakkai off.

* * *

A knock at the door shattered the almost suffocating tension, causing Hakkai and Sanzo to jump. Automatically, Hakkai went to the door, forgetting that his façade was off. He pulled it open with a jerk, staring at the person standing there with icily contemptuous green eyes. 

"What is it?" He snapped. Gonou was fully in evidence.

The balding man standing there swallowed and stepped back slightly, making a note on a clipboard at the same time. The youkai suddenly realized his faux pas and slid "Hakkai" back on. "I'm sorry. May I help you?"

The man nodded, still keeping several feet away from the youkai. "My name is Lee. I'm a professional psychologist." He glanced at the clipboard. "Someone named Sha Gojyo sent me here in order to resolve a conflict between…" He glanced at the clipboard again. "Cho Hakkai and Genjo Sanzo?" He looked up expectantly at Hakkai.

_Damn _him! _Damn _that interfering, infuriating little… "I'm sorry." Hakkai smiled. "My name is Gonou, not Hakkai." Let the hanyou stuff that up his…the human looked at his clipboard again, paused, and looked up at him.

"Err…Gojyo-san also left a note that the parties concerned might use assumed names such as Gonou." He smiled at Hakkai, regaining his confidence in the face of this warmly courteous stranger. The vicious look of earlier was probably due to the argument. Lee smiled again. The people involved in these conflicts were ultimately always good, gentle people who just needed a small push in the right direction to resolve everything and be at peace. False names were often used to protect privacy, which was probably why the gentleman had said his name was Gonou. Lee beamed. All would be well! He saw the man in the door smiling at him. Already his presence was having an improving effect!

"I'm sorry." Hakkai said, forcing himself not to vent his rage at Gojyo on the plump little counselor. He would rip the hanyou's intestines from his gut when he found him…"I have no need for a psychologist."

The man nodded sympathetically. "That's what they all say." He started to push past Hakkai. "Is Sanzo-san in there?"

Lee felt a hand land on his shoulder. He looked up to see Hakkai-san smiling down at him. Something about the smile, though, sent chills up and down his spine. He started to shiver, even though it was quite warm in the hallway.

"Excuse me." Hakkai-san said in a gentle voice. "I don't recall inviting you in."

Lee stopped. So this was the problem, was it? Some people took issue with resolving conflicts in the bedroom. They believed it lent a hostile air to lovemaking. He pursed his lips. While he didn't usually deal with homosexuals, he had done it before. Gojyo-san _had _mentioned that the two were like a married couple. Perhaps their license was pending? He didn't know much about such things, but maybe they had to wait to get a license because of their orientation. That was probably what had caused the quarrel in the first place. Lee could feel a warm wave of sympathy for the two lovers fill his soul. He would fix it! He would reassure them that all was well, that they could, and _would_, be together, no matter what! He patted the taller man's shoulder.

"It's okay, Hakkai-san. I understand about you and Sanzo-san. Don't worry, everything will turn out all right. The marriage license will eventually come through."

Hakkai blinked. What the _hell_… "I'm afraid I don't understand." He could feel the fury at Gojyo threatening to burst from his hands and incinerate this pompous little human who _presumed _to think he understood…on top of that, what the hell was that about a _marriage license?!?!?!

* * *

_

Sanzo stepped into the doorway, cigarette still hanging from his lips. "What is it?" He growled, not bothering with Hakkai's fake formalities. His robes were still fully on, not rolled down as they usually were; he had been expecting to leave this morning.

Hakkai didn't bother to look at Sanzo. "This is Lee-san." Adding the "san" to the end of that fool's name was almost more than he could bear, but he endured it for the moment in order to get rid of the annoying little man. "He's a..."

Lee interrupted. Hakkai's eyes narrowed slightly at the discourtesy. "Professional psychologist." He bowed. "I supposed you must be Sanzo-san." He took note of the monk's robes. Well, it was unusual for a monk to be entering into a kind of a physical relationship, but he supposed there were always indulgences…perhaps he was a heretic or an apostate. At any rate, it didn't really matter. Where these people came from and who they were was not his business. His business was making sure that they were healed.

He smile beatifically at Sanzo-san, only to see the monk stare at him, at first dumbfounded and then with a look of extreme…_hatred?!?!..._on his face. He decided to ignore it for now and go straight on to the immediate problem. It _was _a shame that Sanzo-san wasn't such a nice person as Hakkai-san. A pity; the marriage probably wouldn't work out then… "I was just telling Hakkai-san that you don't need to worry; your marriage license will come through, and you _will _have you happy ending!" He beamed. He told them all that, and it sometimes even worked. Sometimes people just needed you to tell them that it would work and they would go on and do the work themselves…Lee paused in his thoughts as he noticed Sanzo-san's face turning purple. Hakkai-san looked suspiciously as if he were trying to conceal laughter…

Lee frowned. It didn't look as though it were nice, healthy laughter either; it looked as if Hakkai-san was laughing _negatively. _As if he was _enjoying _Sanzo-san's embarrassment. Lee pursed his lips. That was definitely something that would have to be rectified, or this relationship would _never _work out.

"_What._" Sanzo-san's voice was quite frightening. If Lee hadn't known that it was due to stress, he might have feared for his life. "_The hell…_"

Hakkai-san started laughing outright at this point. Lee glared at him, trying to tell him without words that such laughter could be the end of their blossoming relationship. Such sadistic laughter was bad for everyone involved. It was bad for karma, for one thing, and caused suffering both on the part of the laugher and the laughed at. The destructive power of laughter was unimaginable to most people…

"Get out." Sanzo-san snarled. "Out."

Lee looked at him in disbelief. Sanzo-san couldn't mean that. It was just the stress.

"But, Sanzo-san…"

"OUT!" The monk nearly screamed. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

"Sanzo-san, such language…I mean the best for you…" Hakkai-san started choking. Lee glared. How rude.

"YOU BASTARD, GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT OR I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!" Lee winced at the language. Now, now, Sanzo-san…he staggered backward at the sight of the gun. Hakkai-san stepped forward, no longer laughing. A slightly concerned smile was on his face instead.

"Lee-san, perhaps it's best if you go. Sanzo-san can be a bit…unpredictable. He might actually shoot you."

Lee glanced between the gun and Hakkai, swallowed, and spoke. "I agree, Hakkai-san. Perhaps it would be best if we communicated long distance." He held out a card in shaking fingers. "Here's my card. My number's on it, so call me if you need me…" Sanzo-san cocked the gun. Perhaps it was best if he left…immediately. Lee scurried out of the hall and down the stairs.

* * *

Not until he heard the front door of the inn shut did Sanzo return to the room. Hakkai closed the door behind him, his nice face off. 

"Damn that fucker!" Sanzo snarled, throwing the gun on the table. "Damn him!"

"I agree." Hakkai said, his face cold. "Gojyo can be quite…infuriating, at times."

"The fucking understatement of the whole fucking year!" Sanzo hissed. "You still think I was wrong about him?"

Hakkai raised an eyebrow, eyes still cold. "Not necessarily."

Sanzo picked the gun off the table and hid it away in his robes. "I'm going to kill him." Almost involuntarily, he looked at Hakkai.

Hakkai stood. "Proper punishment would be impossible alone." He smiled, that eerie fury behind it again. "I shall accompany you."


	4. Resolution

**Standard disclaimers apply.**

**Last chapter of _Divorce! _Have I been busy this weekend! Finally done with this one, so can now move on to Akki-gure goodness! Love it! **

**And there is a slight spoiler in here, for those of you who have not read/seen scans for volume 7 of _Saiyuki Reload. _Very slight, but I just thought I would warn you. And speaking of volume 7, I just read volume SIX and it was torture! I mean, really! How could they leave us on such a cliffhanger! It's cruel and unusual punishment! I know what happens in volume 7, but I desperately want to read it in _English, _not Chinese! (cries) And the beauty of the Burial Arc...READ IT, all of you that haven't. It's well worth the time. Especially the chibi Goku-ness and youkai Hakkai-ness...**

**Enjoy, if you would, and please review! ESPECIALLY YOU! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! (points finger)**

* * *

Gojyo sat against the wall of the dungeon, tapping his fingers restlessly on his knees. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, and there were bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. The kappa glanced over to where the monkey was sitting in one corner of the barred cell. The kid had finally woken up, but hadn't spoken since. Gojyo swallowed. Was he really that mad? If the chibi even was. More likely he was just exhausted. They had had a "big day" yesterday… 

How the hell had this happened? Automatically, he reached for a cigarette, only to have his fingers come up empty. He snarled into the darkness. Damn those fuckers! Why couldn't they have let him keep his lighter and cigarettes at least? It wasn't as if he was going to use them to escape, damn it! He just wanted a stupid smoke. Was that too much to ask?

Gojyo sighed and slid his legs out in front of them. Almost reluctantly, he glanced over at the monkey again, but Goku was still absorbed in his contemplation of the darkness ahead of him. Gojyo cursed angrily and curled one hand into a fist. This was really starting to get on his nerves. Why did he and the kid have to end up in trouble when they left the bastards? It wasn't as if they had done anything wrong! Why were the gods punishing _them_, the innocent ones, for something Hakkai and that damn monk did?!?

His teeth met and clenched together. Damn it. This was all their fault! He and Goku wouldn't be here if Hakkai and the bastard monk hadn't started fighting. If they hadn't fought, then they wouldn't have had to make plans, and they wouldn't have left. If they hadn't left, then they wouldn't have been captured by those damn youkai!

Gojyo snatched a pebble from the floor of the prison and hurled it into the darkness. Damn them! Why had they even gotten captured in the first place? It didn't make any kind of _sense!_ He and Goku were great fighters, just as good as Hakkai and Sanzo! Well, okay, maybe he wasn't as good as Hakkai, but he sure as hell was better than the damn monk! After all, the bastard only had a gun and a sutra, not the shakujou! And he was always being protected by the stupid monkey, so how come _they _had gotten captured? If anyone should get captured, it was the idiot monk and Hakkai. They were missing two valuable members of their team.

He paused. But then again…maybe it did make sense for them to get captured. He glanced surreptitiously over at the monkey, hoping for some reaction, but the chibi just sat there staring ahead. Gojyo licked his lips nervously. The monkey _couldn't _be mad at him. It wasn't as if he had done anything to the kid! Well, okay, he _had_ taken him away from the group while he was still asleep, without giving him time to say goodbye to Sanzo. But it wasn't like Goku _should _say goodbye to the bastard. Gojyo's jaw tightened at the memory of the kid crying. Goku wasn't supposed to cry. He never cried. But he had cried too many times since this whole mess started. He had cried when Sanzo and Hakkai had shown up at the tree, to prove they were back together. He had cried even harder when he had woken up from a nightmare outside town and Sanzo hadn't been there to snap him out of it.

But he wasn't crying anymore. Gojyo swallowed. In fact, when he had learned that Gojyo had taken him away from the group without telling them or asking for his permission, he had gone all quiet. Goku was _never _quiet, and the little bastard's silence was really freaking Gojyo out. He had had enough of that shit with Sanzo and Hakkai. Now the monkey was doing it too? It was too much, too damn much. He didn't have the patience to deal with this.

Come to think of it, the monkey had probably deliberately not been fighting that hard. Gojyo gritted his teeth, remembering when the band of two or three hundred youkai had burst from the trees and demanded the sutra. After a moment, the idiots had seen that Sanzo wasn't with them. Not that it stopped the fuckers. They just grinned and said that maybe they would have _fresh _dinner today. That had really pissed Gojyo off. He had started in with the shakujou, only to look back and see the monkey standing still and staring dumbly at the mob of youkai. Screaming at him to get his ass to work had prompted the brat to summon the nyoibou, but he hadn't really fought, just attacked half-heartedly. He had left his fucking guard open dozens of times, and Gojyo was honestly surprised that the kid hadn't gotten killed by some youkai with a sharp eye and sharper claws.

But he hadn't gotten killed. Gojyo ground his teeth. Instead, the idiot had just gotten himself captured. Captured, damn him! As if Goku didn't know better than to leave his guard down, he had let himself get captured too! The fucking idiot!

Of course then some youkai with half a brain had had the bright idea to hold Goku and demand that Gojyo put his weapon away or get the kid offed. Goku had just stayed in the youkai's pin, not even bothering to break out of it as Gojyo knew he could. _Damn _him.

Gojyo had had to put the shakujou down then. Goku wouldn't have resisted even if the youkai had cut his throat in two. The youkai had been delighted with this new turn of events. It was seldom that they got live prisoners, and from the looks of them, they intended to have fun with them before they ate them. They had beat the shit out of Gojyo, and then knocked around the monkey for good measure until he was unconscious. Gojyo cursed again. Stupid stupid _stupid _fucking monkey!

And DAMN Hakkai and Sanzo!

"Gojyo?"

It was the monkey. Gojyo fought to keep his relief from showing in his voice.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You think…we're gonna die?" The monkey's voice was soft. The kid wasn't afraid…didn't seem concerned at all. _Damn _it.

"Are you kidding?" Gojyo flashed a white smile in the darkness. "We aren't gonna die, you _bakasaru!_"

"I dunno." Goku said, his voice still soft and strangely childlike. Gojyo swallowed. Damn, the monkey hadn't even gotten bad for being called a _bakasaru_. And what was with the weird child's voice? That didn't make any kind of sense. The kid was young, but not _that _young, damn it! "I think maybe we will."

Gojyo went over and hit him on the head. "No, we won't!"

Goku didn't even react, just stared dully ahead. "I think we will." He looked up at Gojyo with weird eyes. "Cause, I think we're already dead."

"Already dead?" Gojyo repeated, staring dumbfounded at the monkey. "What the hell do you mean?"

Goku ran his fingers over the stones of the floor and looked at the bars, then back at Gojyo. "We're dead, Gojyo."

"What…why…" Gojyo floundered for words. "We're alive, you idiot! Or I wouldn't be talking to you!"

"No, we're dead." Goku shook his head solemnly, his eyes still weirdly old. "Or else we wouldn't be in hell."

"Hell…" Gojyo repeated, looking around. What the fuck did the kid mean? He looked down at him, worried. Apparently he had taken a harder hit to the head than he had first thought.

"Yeah, hell." Goku repeated wearily. "We're in a cage, aren't we?"

A cage…oh fuck…the little brat hated cages…he was the poster boy for claustrophobia…_damn it to hell…_with that bump on his head, he probably really though that he was dead and this was hell. Gojyo squatted beside him. How the fuck was he supposed to convince him this wasn't hell and they weren't dead?

"We're just in prison, Goku. We aren't dead."

"We're dead."

"No, we aren't." Gojyo fought to control his temper. Now was not the time to get mad at the kid. He needed to think this through and realize that this wasn't hell. It was just…a prison. An ugly prison with bars, but a prison in _life_. They weren't in hell. He glanced over at the monkey again, but the stupid _saru_ was just staring ahead again. Gojyo swallowed angrily. The idiot looked as if he had lost everything—as if he were back in that cage again—and from the look on his face, he was burying himself deep inside somewhere to keep from going crazy over that fact.

_Damn it_.

"Hey, _hanyou!_"

Gojyo glared at the youkai taunting him from behind the other side of the bars, torch in hand. "Shut up, you freak!" There were too many of these damn freaks in here. He and the monkey were behind fucking bars, for gods' sakes! It wasn't as if they were going to break out! But no, they just _had _to have twenty youkai crowded into the antechamber to watch them. Of those twenty youkai, they just had to have this stupid idiot taunting them. The rest of the youkai were sitting around arguing with each other or playing cards, completely ignoring the two prisoners. This youkai, however, seemed to enjoy being an asshole.

The youkai laughed. "I don't have to shut up! You're gonna have to, cause you're gonna die!"

Gojyo spat at him. Damn, how stupid _were_ these youkai? That had to be the lamest comeback ever! At least Kougaiji and crew could invent a decent one-liner. Idiots.

"Don't spit at me!" The youkai hissed, it's red eyes glowing furiously in the darkness. "I'll kill you!"

Gojyo glanced over at Goku to see if the monkey had a reaction, but the kid just sat there. Well, damn it then. He'd do something! "I'd like to see you try, freak!" Gojyo grinned devilishly at the youkai. "You and your entire fucking tribe couldn't kill me!"

"We captured you!" The youkai growled. "And we'll eat you too! Just see if you like that, freak!"

Gojyo sneered and said something unprintable about the youkai's parentage. The youkai snarled in rage.

"I'll _kill _you, you fucking…"

"Excuse me." Gojyo's head snapped up at the sound of that voice, and the noise in the antechamber died. The taunting youkai turned around, moving his torch to see the newest arrival. The rest of them all looked towards the door. Gojyo's breath caught in his throat. It couldn't be…it couldn't…

Another youkai stood there, dressed in torn green, his tangled black hair down to his shoulders. The one eye that was visible was slit gold.

The most remarkable thing about him was the green vine pattern that coiled over his bare skin. None of the youkai had ever seen such a marking before; ordinary markings were small in size, and few youkai had more than two. The fact that he had such a marking meant that he was someone of significance. Whether that significance boded well for them or not, it was well for them to be aware of it.

The youkai smiled, revealing white fangs. "I'm sorry, have I interrupted something?"

"Who the hell are you?" The taunting youkai managed, staring at the weirdly marked youkai.

The youkai smiled apologetically, a gesture that was somewhat undercut by the flash of his fangs in the torchlight. "No one of importance."

"Tell us, fucker!" Another youkai growled.

"Just kill him!" A third shouted. Other youkai yelled in agreement.

Gojyo wrapped his hands around the bars, watching this incredible scene. What the hell was going on? This was insane. There was no way in hell that…he felt a tug at his elbow and saw the monkey standing next to him, eyes wide.

"That's…"

Gojyo slammed a hand over the monkey's mouth. "Shut up, _baka saru!_"

The monkey's eyes widened more, but he didn't struggle against the kappa's grip. Instead, he turned his eyes to the youkai, fixing his eyes on the vine-patterned one. Gojyo felt something warm and wet trickle over his hand. Removing his hand from Goku's mouth, he placed it on the monkey's head, his fingers twisting the long strands of hair. A half-smile crossed his face, and his fingers tightened in their grasp on the monkey. Stupid little chibi…

The youkai moved in, weapons in hand, to face the gold-eyed youkai. The youkai smiled. Something about that smile caused Gojyo to shudder and step far back from the bars, pulling the monkey with him. More teeth glinted in the dim light, accompanied by a subtle flicker of claws.

What followed next haunted Gojyo's nightmares for weeks to come.

The mob of youkai moved forward with a shout, brandishing their weapons and screaming obscenities at the stranger in the door. One of them slashed his sword towards the newcomer's still form.

All hell broke loose.

The gold-eyed youkai leapt over the sword, slashing through the bearer with his claws. Before completing the motion, light gathered in his other hand and shot out at the right side of the mob, blasting through bone and tissue. They disintegrated just as blood from the first youkai splattered across the room. Screaming with rage, the other youkai attacked the stranger.

Gojyo heard a snarl and felt drops of hot moisture spray his face. Damn it, the monkey…he looked down and saw that the kid's eyes were still fixed on the strangely-marked youkai, apparently oblivious to the gore fest taking place in front of them. More blood splattered across their faces and bodies, more screams rent the air, and then it was all over.

The vine-patterned youkai stood in the center of the antechamber covered in blood. It dripped from his claws, mixing with the pools on the floor. Ignoring the mess, the youkai calmly wiped his claws off on his jeans, went over to one of the bodies, fished around, and removed a key. Standing, he went over to the barred cell.

Goku left Gojyo's hold then, rushing the bars as if his life depended on it and slamming himself up against them. "H-Hakkai?"

The youkai looked up from unlocking the door and smiled. "Goku."

"You came!" Goku pressed himself closer to the bars. "You came!"

The lock clicked and the door swung open. Hakkai stepped inside. "Of course we came."

Goku buried his face in the youkai's ripped green tunic, oblivious of the amount of blood that he was getting on his face. "You're not mad."

Hakkai knelt down and held the child, cradling the small body to his own bloody one. "I would never be mad at you, Goku." He held the child at arm's length and looked into his eyes. "Never. Do you understand?"

Tears ran down Goku's face, mixing with the blood from Hakkai and staining the bruises of his beating. "Y-yeah."

"Never." Hakkai pulled Goku to him and held him tighter, burying his face in the child's hair. "I'm sorry, Goku. I didn't mean to make you so upset."

"I-it's okay." Goku cried. "It's okay."

Gojyo felt something wet in the corner of his eyes. Damn, did he have to get blood in his fucking _eyes_ too? He brushed it away angrily. That was just stupid.

"You done yet?" Another voice came from the door. Gojyo looked up to see Sanzo standing in the door, gun in hand. Goku looked up immediately and a huge grin came over his face.

"Sanzo? Sanzo!" He leapt from Hakkai and wrapped himself onto Sanzo. "Sanzo, you're here!"

Growling, Sanzo pushed the monkey away. "Yes, I'm here, you fucking idiot! What the hell did you expect?"

Goku blinked, more tears falling. "I thought you and Hakkai were mad."

"We're not." Sanzo said flatly. "Not at you, anyway." A very slight smile crossed his face. Encouraged, Goku ran forward again and buried his face in the monk's robes.

"You really aren't mad at each other anymore?"

"Yes, we aren't mad at each other." Hakkai said, his voice warm. He went over to the monkey and placed his hand on the child's head. "We're sorry if we hurt you, Goku."

"It's okay!" Goku clung tighter to the monk's robes. Awkwardly, almost hesitantly, the monk reached out an arm and wrapped it around the monkey's shoulders. He looked up and glared at Gojyo. Something about the glare made Gojyo smile nervously.

"Eh…Sanzo-sama…"

"No, we aren't mad at _you_, Goku." Hakkai said, his voice as calm as ever. His eyes, locked on Gojyo, showed something other than warmth, despite the fact that he still had a hand on the brat's head. Gojyo stepped back a pace, feeling a trickle of sweat run down his cheek. Oh, _damn. _

With equal calm, Hakkai retrieved his limiters from his pocket, replaced them on his ear one by one, and returned to his normal form. He glanced at Sanzo. The monk removed the monkey from his embrace and then looked at Gojyo. "Let's go."

Goku grabbed the monk's hand and skipped off down the hall with him.

"Damn it, stop _skipping!_" The fan came out then, whipping the monkey over the head.

"Ow! What'dcha do that for!"

"Because you need it, _baka saru!_" Sanzo growled. Goku began to whine as they disappeared down the dark corridor. Gojyo started down after them, hoping to high heaven that Hakkai was not _really _mad. Maybe it was just an aftereffect of the limiter-removal. Hey, it was sometimes hard to read youkai expressions!

"Gojyo." The cold voice stopped him in his tracks. He shivered. The dank chill of the dungeon was nothing compared to the ice in that voice.

"…Y-yeah?"

Hakkai stood beside him. "Don't do that again."

"Eh…"

"_Ever_."

"Eh, _hai hai, sensei!" _Gojyo scurried down the hall after the monk and the monkey. They were too glad about the rescue to punish him now, but he'd sure as hell catch it later. A slight smile crossed his lips. Well…even if he caught it…at least they were back together…

A gunshot rang past his head. Gojyo ducked and cursed, feeling the powder burn.

"What the hell was that for!?!"

"No reason." The bastard replied, still walking forward with the monkey bouncing by his side. Gojyo glared at his back, muttering curses.

"Oh, and Gojyo?" A soft voice said from behind him. Gojyo resisted the urge to whirl. Instead, he bit down harder on his cigarette. Damn, those bastards were creepy…

"Yeah?"

Long fingers pulled his cigarette from his lips and removed his pack and lighter. "No smoking."

"Wha…why the _fuck _can't I smoke?"

There was a white flash of smile in the darkness. "It's not a good example." Hakkai walked past him. _Fuck _him. He was definitely not imagining the chuckle.

Gojyo ground his teeth. "Since when do I have to set an example?"

A light voice answered him. "Since you decided to take up child-rearing."

Ergh…Gojyo pulled back._ Fuck that bastard. _A strangled growl was all that he replied. Its response was the same amused chuckle.

_Damn those bastards! _


End file.
